Gardening

Treat the itch to start gardening too early

Are you one of those gardeners who always gets the “itch” to start gardening too early each year? Don’t worry. There are some preventative steps to take to delay the early onset of Gardenitis: Start by taking deep breaths and think back on all the good things that happened last year in your...
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Want continuous blooms in your yard?

How do you get a flower garden to be in bloom all summer or even longer? The simple answer is – by planning for it. Know your space Even if you do not have that long, deep bed seen in the gardening books or on Pinterest, you can accomplish your flowering goals. When beds are big and deep, you...
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Do a little 2022 garden planning

Now that you have cleared off the coffee table and the kitchen counter from the holiday catalogs, the next pile will be gardening solicitations and more catalogs.   Historically, this time of year was when gardeners ordered to get the hard-to-find seeds, perennial plants, and certain...
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Don't forget about these late fall yard chores

November gardening in the home landscape is always a mixed bag of tasks (and weather). Some jobs are timely and appropriate, and others we may just need to catch up with. Here’s a few to make sure are on your to-do list: Vegetable gardens We have had some pretty cool weather, so end-of-season...
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jumping worm

Fall updates: gardening trends and jumping worms

In 2021, both the consumer and retail sides of gardening have seen unique challenges due to the pandemic.  Since spring 2020, garden centers saw a huge and unexpected increase in demand for seeds, plants of all kinds, and all the associated supplies used in home landscape. This caught all of...
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Northern Illinois drought continues into fall

Are we still in droughty conditions here in northern Illinois? As of October 5 – the day before we started to get all the rain – we sure were. Are we good now? We are better off, but not “out of the woods.” The rains we got were most welcome, yet the drought monitoring sites still show DuPage,...
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Fall is a good time to start composting

As autumn progresses, gardeners begin wondering what to do with all the plant parts that need to be pruned off, and later, all the leaves that will fall. A great alternative to those landscape waste bags is to recycle right in your own yard and benefit from all that free organic matter....
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Enjoying the home landscape

So many good things have happened in the home landscape this year so far. The earlier cool and drier weather let our perennials and shrubs put on the growth that has not happened in our hot dry springs. Along with that has been the way better than average bloom show. There has been a lot...
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